On the other side
by ToxicPineapple
Summary: "Right, I expect you'll be to Diagon Alley to pick up your books and such before term starts? I will, of course, be informing Professor Flitwick that you are coming." A story following Emily Jones, a near Muggle born witch who joins Hogwarts just after the war ends. And in times of recovery, it seems Emily is just what the school needs. Especially when trouble still lurks nearby...
1. A period of darkness

_Author's note: This chapter goes with great pleasure to Professor McGonagall. I am not personally a member of her house, but she's a great inspiration to me :)_

 _I hope you all enjoy!_

* * *

 _Prologue: A period of darkness._

 _"Grief is love's unwillingness to let go." -Unknown_

* * *

Minerva McGonagall wasn't an inherently unhappy person, and this she was sure of. Despite the past few years she'd experienced, she always made time to sit by the fire with a cup of hot tea and an open book. More was better when referring to knowledge, Minerva knew. As a teacher, she was always learning. And she hoped to teach the students that would now be entering Hogwarts through being Headmistress just as she had as Transfiguration teacher.

And this, she realized with a jolt, was no laughing matter. As a matter of a fact, it was quite the opposite. This would be the first year she'd spent in a long time with no Dumbledore nor Snape at her side.

Severus had been nothing less than a major annoyance, she recalled with a frown, but he proved his true intentions in the end, hadn't he? Yet she had no time to grieve.

Because as she was taking over where Albus had left off, Minerva not only had to fill the Muggle Studies and Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers' spots, but the Transfiguration spot as well. She sighed and leaned back against her chair, remarkably unhappy at the occurance.

Still, she had to be strong. Tomorrow, she'd find a new teacher for each spot. And each teacher would be just as strong as the last.

She was determined.

* * *

In the hours that came to pass, Minerva remarked, she slept in fits. Amazingly, her dreams consisted not of nightmares of the ever so recent battle of Hogwarts, but in fact of a number of conversations that she and Albus had shared during their time together.

She recalled her first Christmas at Hogwarts, remembering the gift that she'd presented him; a book on Transfiguration. Nervously, as Minerva had been quite young at the time, she told Albus that the book was written by Adalbert Waffling.

This was wrong. Waffling had not, in fact, written anything of the sort. Dumbledore laughed it off, but he did tell her to relax.

Minerva awoke when Professor Slughorn, a man not much older than her, sprouted a second head. She laughed slightly at the occurence, dismissing it as a childish dream. A memory. It took a few hours to coax herself into returning into her slumber, but she managed.

The night continued similarly. She didn't doubt that she'd be well exhausted by the time morning came, but simply could not convince herself to fall back asleep after being faced with a particularly vivid dream of a lesson in which James Potter had thrown several books at Severus' head. Minerva hastened to tell him off, but when she turned to Severus, he was full grown. He presumed to murder Sirius Black in a manner similar to how Dumbledore had passed, and Peter Pettigrew turned into Voldemort.

Minerva left her bed, glancing with distaste at the clock. It was only 4:00 AM, but there was no resting. She dressed and pointed her wand at a pot. Tea began to brew as she slumped into a chair in the dining room and held her face in her hands.

"Really now," she began to lecture herself. "If you don't get a hold of yourself soon, you'll have a breakdown." She supposed she'd better visit Poppy Pomfrey soon enough as well; the school year was soon to start anyhow.

The tea pot gave a whistle. With a start, Minerva pointed her wand at it, and it exploded. She released a breath, fixing it and the tea inside with a flick of her wrist. She strode to the pot and poured herself a cup of tea, manually this time.

To her surprise, her hand shook. She brough the cup to her lips and took a sip of the steaming substance, but disregarded the tangy burning sensation the boiling liquid left behind.

A few hours passed as she sipped tea, still standing at the kitchen counter. She sighed slightly; the clock said 6:00 AM.

She supposed she'd go to the first of her scheduled appointments, remembering with a groan that she had a busy day ahead of her. She finished her cup and placed it down, resolving to wash the dishes when she returned. She exited the kitchen and grabbed a Muggle garment- a black trench coat. Minerva left the house as she pulled it on, shocked by the face of cold air that she recieved.

On the other hand, it wasn't exactly unpleasant.

Minerva closed her eyes for a moment to regain her composure.

"You can do this," she breathed. "Get a move on, McGonagall."

* * *

 _Author's note: It's short, but expect longer chapters in the future?_

 _I don't know. We'll see. Next chapter may or may not be from Minerva's point of view, but I do enjoy writing about people who are in mourning._

 _For the sake of things, if you are experiencing majoy grief and an inability to handle yourself, I definitely suggest getting professional help. Don't wait. Somebody is going to understand, and that I promise._

 _Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you next time :_ _)_

 _~Candy Was Here._


	2. A brown owl

_Author's note: This dedication is to Hedwig! Because... owl post... Also, Hedwig :3_

 _Hope you enjoy!_

* * *

 _Chapter one: A brown owl._

 _"What we learn becomes a part of who we are." -Unknown_

 _(I swear, I'll start using quotes from people I know the name of soon.)_

* * *

The radio played softly. The tune coming from the small brown box was a chipper sort of thing; all the radio stations were drenched in relief at the weather letting up. Finally, several year's fog had let up. One would be particularly aware of the bright music of the flute.

Emily Jones, however, was more of a fan of the piano. But she wasn't to complain, as she understood how difficult wind instruments could be. Her older sister practically shoved the information through her ear every second of the day, after all. She supposed she'd have to be thick to be ignorant of this.

"Mum, there's something at the window!" the sister in question, Vanessa, shrieked.

"Calm down," said Emily placidly. "It might just be some stalker that's out to get you, V. Nothing to worry about."

Vanessa made to throw her iPod at her. Emily ducked in anticipation of the attack, laughing. "I'm only joking!"

"Settle down," said their mother, Candace Jones. "Vanessa, what's at the window?"

A tapping sound interrupted Vanessa as she attempted to respond. " _Really,_ now." She snapped. "If you're going to be rude about it-"

Emily laughed and strode to the window to see for herself. To her shock, a remarkably plain brown owl was waiting in front of her.

The owl tapped the window once, its large black eyes shining with irritation, almost as if to say: "Well?"

Emily reached out with a shaking hand and unlatched the window, watching as the owl soared around the room. Her mother let out a surprised shriek: "Emily! Why did you let that thing in here?!" and Vanessa dropped her iPod.

However, Emily smiled as the owl dropped a letter into her lap and fluttered around the room in a dignified manner. She grasped it, spotting her name printed very neatly on front:

 _"Emily Jones._

 _Sequestrian Road._

 _Bedroom in the North-East side of the house."_

Emily gaped; nobody she knew bothered to write letters in general. They typically sent an email or attempted to text- fat lot of good it did them, however, as Emily didn't posses a phone in the first place. Besides that, hardly any of her friends knew where her bed was-

Much less did they use an _owl_ to communicate. Emily wondered why she didn't think about that first. Still, she opened the envelope with increasing apprehension.

The contents caused Emily to raise her eyebrows and let out a childish giggle; one only possible from an eleven year old girl. "Mum," she snorted. "I've recieved my Hogwarts acceptance letter."

"...what?" Candace blinked, sounded rather shocked.

Vanessa, who was staring over Emily's shoulder, scoffed. "If that isn't a prank, I'll eat my hat."

"You haven't got a hat." Emily blinked at her sister in disbelief.

"Who says I haven't?" Vanessa shot back, to which Emily had no response, so ahe stared instead at the letter in a shocked silence.

* * *

"HOGWARTS SCHOOL

 _of_ WITCHCRAFT _and_ WIZARDRY

Headmistress: Minerva McGonagall

Dear Ms. Jones,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Filius Flitwick,

 _Deputy Headmaster."_

* * *

Emily started to laugh. "It _has_ to be a prank. There's absolutely no way-"

As she said it, the brown owl landed on her shoulder and a loud cracking noise sounded just outside the front door. Vanessa's iPod fell with a loud thud on the kitchen floor. Emily was startled to be interrupted, but none so much as her mother, who gave a loud shout.

Directly after, somebody rang the doorbell.

Emily, the owl still seated firmly on her shoulder, approached the door with caution. She took a deep breath and unlatched the dead bolt; pulling the door open.

She found herself staring up into the dark brown eyes of a tall, black haired woman dressed in a long black overcoat.

"Er," Emily blinked, as she was at a total loss for words. "Hello."

"Hello," the woman greeted briskly. "You are Emily Jones, I presume?"

"The one and only," Emily grinned. "Though I doubt I'm the only one by my name. Who wants to know?"

"A great many people, I'm sure." the stranger replied stiffly. "Most specifically, myself. I am Professor McGonagall. I trust you recieved your acceptance letter?"

"What, this?" Emily snorted, holding up the letter that was still clutched in her clammy palm. "Yes, I suppose I have."

"I am also to assume, then," McGonagall remarked dryly. "That you take it as a joke?"

"Well," Emily pondered, not wanting to seem rude. "I would be mad not to, wouldn't I?"

"I assure you that it is no joke, Ms. Jones!"

"I beg your pardon?" Emily yelped(The owl had dug its claws into her shoulder at McGonagall's loud proclamation). McGonagall looked rather serious, her lips pursed into a straight line.

"I now see why Albus made a point to visit Muggle born families in person." She spoke bitterly. "Well, as I have already stated, this is no joke. It is, in fact, real."

"Hold on a moment-" Emily blinked, turning back. "Mum! V!"

Vanessa, at least, was at Emily's side in a matter of seconds. Candace was slower.

"Professor McGonagall here says that the letter isn't a prank." Emily drawled, in tones of vast incomprehension. "What do you reckon?"

"I'm inclined to believe it," Candace whispered, staring at McGonagall with an expression of shock visible on her features.

"Mum?" Vanessa raised both eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"Your husband, I presume?" McGonagall inquired of Candace. She didn't seem to hear Vanessa, nor did Candace Jones.

"Muggle born. Died before I learned much." Candace replied. "But yes, my husband. He never had the chance to attend your school...but he did mention it in passing..."

"He did recieve a letter?" McGonagall's eyes widened, as if the very idea of a wizard dying uneducated was preposterous.

"I never knew why he never went." Candace sighed. "It wasn't a comfortable topic, I'm afraid."

"Mum." Emily's eyes were wide. "What are you saying?"

"Your father was a wizard, Emily." Candace's failure to meet her daughter's eyes was unnerving. "That's why I never talk about him. He- last we spoke- he requested that I keep it quiet in case neither of you inherited his talent. Apparently that wasn't-" her voice died magnificently. For a few moments, they stood in a stunned silence. Then Candace piped up in a brighter tone, "It's nothing to worry about, of course! Emily, you can use magic!"

"I suspected as much." Vanessa narrowed her eyes at her younger sister, a joking look of suspicion on her face. "I knew it the moment you spoke Gregory into slapping Kennedy for me."

"You didn't suppose I just knew how to pursuade people to do my bidding?" Emily remarked dryly, her heart pounding. Vanessa laughed and clapped her on the shoulder.

"I'm glad for you, sis." Emily, on the other hand, was rather terrified. What did the wizarding world hold in store for her?

Professor McGonagall looked partly sympathetic, and partly glad that Candace had come through with the information. "Right, I expect you'll be to Diagon Alley to pick up your books and such before term starts? I will, of course, be informing Professor Flitwick that you are coming."

"Er," Emily glanced at Candace, who nodded. "I suppose-"

"Good. I will see you on September 1st." she made to walk briskly on her way, before pausing momentarily with the slightest shadow of a smile. "Good luck, Ms. Jones."

* * *

 _Author's note: Excellent. I had fun portraying Minerva's attitude in my writing; I hope it was to your liking ;)_

 _I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and have a great day!_

 _~Candy Was Here._


	3. Diagon Alley

_Author's note: Ah, another chapter, another day. Exciting, is it not?_

 _Any_ _way, I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

 _Chapter two: Diagon Alley._

 _"New places always help us look at life differently." -Joan Bauer._

* * *

Candace, it turned out, knew a lot more about the wizarding world than she originally let on. But it was befitting to somebody who worked as a judge; she should be shrewd.

Firstly, she demanded that Vanessa not go and tell her friends. The wizarding world was after all a secret and they couldn't let it slip in her hands. Directly after, she intended to take Emily out to go school shopping.

"Mum," said Emily, who was still a little surprised about all of this. "What age do you have to be to attend Hogwarts?"

"Eleven," Candace replied wearily(Emily had been badgering her non-stop with questions).

"Oh!" Emily smiled. "That's why the letter arrived on my birthday then!" The owl was punctual if that was its intention; it had in fact arrived on the tenth of August.

Be that as it may, Emily was in no rush to age. It was by her request that nobody celebrated the day, as she found that the mother ought to be celebrated instead.

To her irritation, she'd still recieved several birthday cards.

The owl in question, to shift the topic slightly, remained with Emily. She had tried to send it back home, but the owl had refused to go. Vanessa had found Emily's struggle rather humerous, and her mother only said that witches and wizards typically kept owl pets anyway. Emily had replied in a burst of indignation that the owl belonged to the school.

"Your point being?" Candace inquired. "You can simply return the owl upon your arrival at Hogwarts."

Emily huffed. "Alright then, but if I get in trouble-"

"Surely you won't get in trouble for the owl wanting to stay," Vanessa snickered. "Unless the owl accuses you."

The owl, who had been listening rather intensely, swooped down next to Vanessa and nipped her ear in a threatening sort of way. Vanessa shrieked, despite the fact that she wasn't really hurt.

Emily chuckled and held out an arm; the owl was there in a second. "You know, this might not be so bad." She smiled. The owl hooted happily in return. "Shall I call you something?"

The owl appeared to shrug, almost as if to say, "Whatever you'd like."

"Hm, you understand me, right?" Emily asked, before pausing. "Hoot once if you understand."

The owl hooted once, ruffling its feathers in a dignified way.

"Excellent." Emily beamed. "Are you a girl?" The own made no sound, giving her a reproachful look. "Boy?" It- or rather, he hooted once. "Right then!" She stroked his head in thought.

"You don't suppose I could just call you Owl?" She teased cheerfully. The owl clicked his beak to show his distaste. "Yeah, I guess not."

Another moment passed in silence. "You're rather stubborn...oh, I'll call you Stub!"

The own ruffled his wings and hooted once, clearly believing the decision to be hers. "Alright then!"

Stub flew from her arm onto the top of the TV set, hooting contentedly. Emily laughed. "So mum, what's a Muggle?"

* * *

"Well," Emily said as Candace led her through the bar. "I suppose the trip isn't a total loss if we get some beer. But I've been getting some weird looks."

Stub hooted, as if to say that it had been her choice to bring him along. "Not true!" Emily protested. "You refused to leave my arm!" He clicked his beak.

"Quiet for a moment, you two," Candace smiled as Emily opened her mouth to argue. "Tom, can we get through to Diagon Alley?" She asked. Emily saw that she was directing her attention to an old man behind the bar. What little hair that was left on his head took on an unpleasant yellow shade, but his smile was friendly enough.

"Ms. Jones, a pleasure." he greeted. "I must say, I never expected to see you back here after what happened."

Candace's smile looked forced, suddenly. "Right, well. My daughter here has been accepted into Hogwarts, so-"

"Ah, say no more." Tom led them out back, into a small, walled courtyard. "I don't suppose you have a wand?"

"No, do I need one?" Emily asked, rather nervous.

"You will." The bartender chuckled and tapped the wall three times with a wand of his own.

Emily found herself staring through a brick archway as her mother led the way through.

"What do you reckon?" She asked Stub.

He hooted comfortably and flew from her shoulder through the archway. She smiled. "Good enough answer for me."

* * *

Diagon Alley was possibly the most interesting place Emily had ever seen. She hardly noticed Stub hooting at her to get a move on or the brick wall closing back up behind her. She was surrounded by magical shops, people were calmly buying things here and going from store to store as if it was nothing. And, she supposed, it was.

As if in a trance, she put out an arm and clicked her tongue. Stub landed on it and she smiled affectionately. After a moment, she hurried after her mother.

"Mum, this place is incredible!" Emily beamed. "How did you know about this without telling me?"

"I'm not technically supposed to be here, Em," Candace smiled slightly. "Muggles aren't allowed. So keep it quiet, alright?" She winked.

Emily stared at her mother. Her bright gray eyes and neat brown hair always seemed to be hiding something from somebody, but Emily never suspected that her mother would be hiding something from her. With good reason, naturally...

Emily waited while her mother exchanged British pounds for what were called "Galleons," "Sickles," and "Knuts." Being a successful judge, Candace was able to hand her daughter a decent sized bag of money.

It was heavy, so Emily shoved it in the pocket of her coat. (Which she actually hadn't planned on wearing; her sister said she should wear it even if it was hot.)

"Thanks mum." she grunted as her mother took her by the arm and led her away.

"It's my responsibility as your mother." Candace brushed it off with a faint smile. "Now, have out that list of yours so we can see to your books."

* * *

After Emily had purchased robes, books, and several other of the required items, Candace took her to Ollivander's to buy a wand. Mr. Ollivander was a pale, elderly man with a fuller head of hair than Tom-but it had long since turned white. The man looked at Candace with an expression of slight distaste- he said it was because she could not use a wand- and took Emily back into the shop.

Ollivander took special care to measure every single limb Emily possessed, attempting to shoo Stub from her shoulder. He hooted reproachfully. The owl stayed.

"Now," Ollivander spoke finally. "You'll have to try with each wand until one chooses you."

"The wand chooses me?" Emily inquired, interested.

Ollivander nodded, taking out a lethal looking wand. It gave Emily a edgy feeling. "Try this, holly wood and a dragon heart string core."

Emily took it and gave it a flick. Nothing happened.

* * *

A few wands later, Ollivander handed her one that he said was cedar wood with a unicorn tail core. She smiled slightly, taking the wand and giving it a gentle flick. Yellow sparks flew from the end as Ollivander smiled decisively. "Yes, I think that will do."

After paying, Emily and her mother left the store. They walked around Diagon Alley, noticing with interest the other children who were buying school supplies- presumably for Hogwarts. Far from feeling assured, Emily was worried by the presence of other students. They all seemed to know their footing.

Stub hooted reassuringly, as if sensing her mental crisis. She chuckled slightly. "Thanks, Stub."

They walked for a few moments in moderate silence before coming up to a store with a sloppily nailed sign upon the door.

"Weasley's Wizard Wheezes." The store looked to be some sort of joke shop... And yet, the sign in front said in shaky writing, "Closed until further notice."

Upon closer examination, Emily noticed that the board was stained with tears. Around it, several pieces of paper were pinned to the door: "RIP Fred Weasley." "Hang in there, George!" "Goodbye, Fred." "We're sorry for your loss." "Good luck!"

The notes continued likewise. Emily turned to her mother, frowning. "Mum, who's Fred Weasley?" Candace smiled sadly and shook her head.

"I'm Muggle, Em. I don't know."

To Emily's surprise, an older boy- maybe around seventeen or eighteen- approached them. "He died in the war that ended a bit ago." Emily stared at him, befuddled. He was average height for somebody who'd just finished college, bearing every look of somebody who'd grown out of a lot of baby fat really fast. He looked a bit like Emily, really, with fluffy brown hair and eyes.

"War?" Emily sputtered. "There was a war?"

"Yeah, against Lord Vol- don't you know this?" He looked confused, but not angry in any way. Emily felt a stroke of guilt for her ignorance as she shook her head. "Well, uh... There was this wizard out who was killing a lot of people because they couldn't use magic. He was defeated this summer, but we suffered a lot of casualties." He looked sadly at the sign on the door. "Fred Weasley was a bit of a genius..."

"Oh." Emily said lamely. "Looks like I'm about to witness a lot more trouble than I expected this next month, aren't I?"

"Maybe." The stranger grinned and extended a handshake. "Neville Longbottom. Are you a Muggleborn that's about to go to Hogwarts?"

"Emily Jones," she replied, smiling slightly. She shook his hand. "And no, my dad was a wizard according to my mum over there." She pointed at Candace. "Never went to a wizarding school, though."

Neville nodded, thankfully letting the subject drop. "Were you raised by your mum?" Emily nodded. "No wonder you didn't know about the war. You'll be hearing about it all over Hogwarts when term starts." He grinned again. "I'm retaking my seventh year because we hardly got any education last year. Do you know about the houses?"

"Erm, I live in a house?" Emily offered. Neville laughed, and Emily grinned sheepishly.

"There are four houses at Hogwarts that you can be sorted into. The people in those houses will be like your family during your time there. There's Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw." He added before Emily could ask: "I'm in Gryffindor."

"Sounds pretty complicated," Emily blinked. "How are you sorted?"

"Well," Neville began.

The two spoke for a while, eventually finding an ice cream parlor to speak in. It was a pleasant exchange, Emily decided, and found herself hoping to see Neville again when she went to Hogwarts.

* * *

 _Author's note: Ending the chapter here because I felt like the next part of the story didn't fit in this chapter._

 _Anyway, I'd like to point out that I will by no means be pairing Emily up with any canonical character, be it Neville or anybody for that matter. There are plenty of canon ships I don't want to interfere with- for example, Neville and Hannah Abott- and I also don't feel that Emily will be content to be in a relationship at her age and with her personality. Neville and Emily get along well and are friends, but they will by no means be any more than that._

 _I'm just saying it explicitly because it seems sometimes that non-romantic affection has no place in our world any longer, and I intend to stress the importance of those sort of relationships in my writing._

 _Ending my tangent, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you later!_

 _~Candy Was Here._


End file.
